Resurrection
by Queen Sunstar
Summary: It couldn't be worse. Villus has captured the Guardians, and Bravenwolf is missing. The portal stops working and Dromus steps up to take Bravenwolf's place as leader of the Knights. What is this about a fifth Guardian, a female, and why do the other Guardians fear her?
1. Problems Arise

**Queen Sunstar: Sorry about the crappy formatting. I wrote these two chapters on my iPad using Writer, and well, the formatting is done very differently using *. One * is italics, two ** is bold, and three *** is underline. Since I have some free time, I am taking the time to correct the formatting by copy pasting to Microsoft Word on my laptop. I have also improved a few spots in the story.**

"Nothing has happened in ages!" Toxsa complained, "I'm so bored! I wish Villus would attack or something!"

"Don't mind Toxsa. He's upset that Wizard Fall's release date got pushed back, again." Chooki explained, "Villus has been quiet lately and it worries me."

"Be careful of what you wish for, Toxsa. I like the quiet." Ceylan said, "It is nice not to have to worry about getting shot at."

"You never told us you could dance like that." Chooki said.

"I had to dance or get turned into a target practice dummy. Guren, if you keep staring at that cube, you are going to bore a hole through it. They will summon us when they need us." Ceylan tapped Guren's shoulder. Guren jumped in response.

"It has been too quiet." Guren replied after a moment, "You don't think something happened where they lost the ability to summon us?"

As if they had heard him, the four cubes glowed. The four boys took off for Mr. Whites shop. A quick trip through the portal later, they stood in their knight forms on Quarton. The situation was immediately apparent. There were Corrupted soldiers everywhere.

"Tenkai Knights! You are here!" Beag rushed toward them.

"Let's move out!" Bravenwolf ordered,

"Way ahead of you!" Valorn called, slicing into a corrupted soldier.

The knights spread out to fight. Left and right, corrupted soldiers fell. Valorn tapped a soldier who turned and impaled himself on Valorn's pole arm. Lydendor took out several soldiers at once with his shuriken shield. Tributon unleashed a swarm of arrows while Bravenwolf sliced his way into the fray. None of them had titaned up as there was no need to. Slyger and Granox were absent. What could Villus's plan be? Unknown to anyone, they were being watched. A disk of yellow light shot across the battlefield. Tributon saw it.

"Incoming!" Tributon shot an arrow at the light. He didn't know why, but the light filled him with dread. The arrow met its mark. At first nothing happened. The arrow quivered, and was sucked into the disk of light. It began to spin, lightning crackling on the edges. Lighting lashed out to strike Tributon, causing him to yelp in surprise. Spinning even faster, it shot toward him. Time slowed down. Tributon heard screaming, and then saw ground flying up to meet him. His vision clouded as a distant throb made itself known. He had the sensation of someone picking him up off the ground. Everything darkened and went black.

"Ceylan?"

"Ceylan, wake up."

White light bled under his eyelashes. Slowly, Ceylan opened his eyes, and promptly shut them again. He blinked, letting his eyes adjust. Sharp pain blossomed on the back of his head. He raised his hand to feel bandages and noticed the IV in his hand. He felt a goose egg bump and winced.

"Easy, Ceylan. You are in the hospital. You have a concussion. Do you remember what happened?" Chooki asked.

"There was a disk of light that tried to kamikaze me. Did you get its number? I hit the ground and now I'm here. Where are Toxsa and Guren?" Ceylan asked.

"Toxsa is reliving our last battle. After you got knocked out, we got the last few corrupted soldiers." Chooki decided not to hold back, "It was Guren who saved you. He knocked you out of the way. He is missing."

"Did... I must have miss heard you. Guren is not missing." Ceylan heard himself start to laugh. It wasn't his normal laugh ether. "Nice try, Chooki! You had me going there for a moment! Guren, you can come out of hiding now!"

"Ceylan, stop it! This is no joke! Guren really is missing!" Chooki yelled.

"Okay, I believe you." Ceylan started trying to get out of bed.

"Where do you think you are going?"

"I'm getting out of here! I'm going to go find Guren!"

"No you are not! You are going to stay put and warm the bench until the doctors say you are ready to play again!" Chooki stopped Ceylan's attempt to get out of bed, "Toxsa and I are going back to Quarton to search for clues. We will find him."

Ceylon settled back into bed, "Find him, Chooki."

Aura hummed softly as she gathered mushrooms near her home in the Forge. The Forge was a vast canyon nestled in a deep valley known as the cut which was nestled between the Great Tenkai Range and the Little Teton Range. It was hard to believe that this place had been cut into Quarton by Bravenwolf during his last battle against Villus. Aura looked up and noticed something red and white lying in the mouth of the Forge. Curious, Aura rose and walked to the shape on the ground. She gasped upon seeing Bravenwolf. Bravenwolf was lying in a heap on the ground, fluids seeping from wounds in his leg, chest, and arm. He was unconscious. Aura carefully gathered the red Knight into her arms and carried him back to her home.

Pain throbbed from every part of his body. He was waking up, leaving the warm cocoon of pain free darkness he'd come from. His optics turned on and adjusted to the light.

"You are waking up!"

"Ugh, ah, what happened to me?" Bravenwolf's voice cracked from disuse. He started to sit up, "Ow!"

"Easy, Bravenwolf. You shouldn't be moving. You need to heal." The voice soothed.

"Who?" Bravenwolf coughed.

"Here." Bravenwolf was helped up and a cup of clear liquid was placed at his mouth. He swallowed some of the water gratefully. "I am the Guardian Aura. You are in my home inside the Forge. Rest, Bravenwolf." Aura dabbed away the water that dribbled on the corner of Bravenwolf's lip. Bravenwolf was helped to lay back and he went back to sleep.

Toxsa watched as again, Bravenwolf threw himself into Tributon, knocking the blue knight to the ground and taking the hit. He vanished in the light which blinked out, leaving a scorched mark behind. Toxsa had played enough video games to know that a scorch mark met that was all that remained of the person hit. He refused to even acknowledge the thought that Bravenwolf was gone. Guren could not be dead!

"Toxsa, any luck?" Mr. White asked, walking into the room, "I can't get a hold of Boreas. None of the Guardians are responding."

"Guren might be gone. I'm going back to Quarton. Somebody has answers." Toxsa pulled out his core block.

"I'm going with you, and I'm not leaving without answers." Chooki joined them, "Ceylan has a concussion so he is benched until he recovers." They went through the portal and appeared near the Corekai camp.

"Tenkai Knights!" Beag ran to them, "I figured you would return quickly. I have specialists working the scene. I don't think he is gone."

"Bravenwolf will come back." Valorn replied.

"Sir, Orion is here." A corekai soldier reported, stepping aside to reveal a battered red and blue bot leaning on a cane.

"Welcome, Orion. This is-"

"Lydendor and Valorn, I know them well. You seek answers. Bravenwolf lives." Orion spoke.

"Okay that is freaky." Valorn said, "I'm not talking typical Halloween freaky ether. I'm talking Rising Darkness creepy."

"Orion is a seer." Beag said, "He is connected to Quarton mentally and spirituality. He sees what the planet shows him. He can answer your questions."

"Bravenwolf lives still. He is inside the Forge. There is no need for rescue yet. Tenkai knights, you must forget about Bravenwolf. Your focus must be on the Guardians. Villus has captured them. You'll find Notus in the far south. Boreas is in the far north, Eurus is in the far east, and Zephyrus is in the far west. I see Notus in heavy chains, pleading with something hidden in the clouds." Orion continued, "Something yellow lies at his feet. That is all Quarton is showing me."

"I will not forget my leader! We need to rescue Bravenwolf before we can free the Guardians!" Lydendor screamed, "We are a team! Without Bravenwolf, we don't stand a chance!"

"You know one who can help. Bravenwolf is too injured to help you. It is okay. He is in the care of the fifth Guardian. She will nurse him back to health." Orion closed his optics, "I do not see him in the final battle."

"Shouldn't we save Bravenwolf?" Valorn asked.

"We have to pull our second string quarterback into play. We'll rescue Bravenwolf when we can. Right now we need to focus on the Guardians. Who do we gah!" Lydendor went to his knees.

"Lydendor! What is wrong?" Valorn was beside him in an instant. Lydendor turned his head toward Valorn, optics flickering and going dark. "Lydendor!"

"Villus, why did you send the army out after the Knights without me or Granox to lead it?" Slyger asked.

"You would have gotten in the way. They were just a distraction." Villus answered, "It is all part of the plan given to me by the Darkness. I do not know the full plan. You and Granox have parts to play. The Guardians are separated and trapped inside different Temples. The Knights can't go home."

"What will we do?" Granox asked.

"I don't know yet. When the Darkness tells me, I'll tell you." Villus snapped.

"Granox, I am not sure if Villus should be listening to the Darkness. He won't let us see it." Slyger fell into step with Granox, "Sending the army out to take on the Knights is a waste of bot power."

"We would not have gotten in the way!" Granox hissed angrily, "Would we?"

"I know I wouldn't have gotten in the way. I don't like this Darkness." Slyger muttered.

**Queen Sunstar: chapter one done. Right now I am setting characters up and getting things moving. Bear with me, and my fight scenes tend to be epic. I decided to tone down the fight scene here to focus on Tributon's injury. He is not happy being out of action. Valorn is about to discover that the portal is not working so he is stuck on Quarton for now. Gen will be arriving with an impatient Tributon next chapter and Tributon is not going to take not rescuing Bravenwolf well and Dromus finds himself in a new role.**


	2. Lydendor's Vison

"Lydendor!" Valorn found himself helpless as Beag pulled him back to let the medics through to work on Lydendor. A medic knelt beside the yellow knight and checked him out.

"His vital signs are stable. I see no obvious injuries." The medic replied.

"Lydendor! What happened? Did Villus attack?"

"Dromus! Tributon! Tributon, what part of sidelined did you not understand?" Valorn ran to them.

"I'm oh hold on..." Tributon doubled over and vomited, "Never travel through the portal with a concussion... I'm still sidelined, but nobody said where I had to be sidelined..."

"Ow..." Lydendor came around thanks to the medic holding a tube of smelling salts, "My head is killing me. Notus is in a fortress on the other side of the Kenobi Desert." He got up slowly and swayed on his feet, "Notus said I would feel weak and have a headache afterward. Tributon!"

"Save it, Lydendor. I'm trying not to bring up the breakfast I had last week." Tributon answered.

"You have a concussion, Tributon. I want you in med bay. I'll give you something for the nausea. You too, Lydendor. I'm Dr. Vera, and yes, I'm a female, and yes, I know how to handle you lot, so don't try me." Vera introduced herself.

"Stay on her good side." Beag said, "Or she'll be very unpleasant to be around."

Bravenwolf did not know how long he had slept. He was in pain, and now that he was fully awake, he carefully sat up to take in his injuries. His right arm was wrapped to his body, and his chest was bound up. His right leg was up on a pillow, the leg wrapped in bandages. A soft snort sounded by his head. Bravenwolf turned, and found himself face to snout with a war stallion. He screamed, and screamed a second time as liquid fire burst from his wounds.

"Aries, back." Aura came into the room, "Aries is gentle. He won't hurt you, Bravenwolf. That was a long sleep you took. I had to leave for a bit to restock my supplies. I didn't want you to wake up alone, so I had Aries watch over you. I should have realized that you fought war stallions before."

"It's okay." Bravenwolf winced, his good arm wrapped around his bad arm. Aries snorted in concern. Bravenwolf got his first good look at his rescuer. Aura was colored like a Guardian, being white instead of silver, and her trim was dark silver. She wore a helm shaped like the helms worn by the other guardians save for a pair of wings up behind the ears.

"This is going to hurt, but I need to change those bandages." Aura left and returned with the supplies she needed, "After this, I am going to have you try to eat something." Aura cut the bandages away. Bravenwolf got his first good look at his wounds. He clenched his teeth as Aura began to dab at the gash on his arm. "I know it hurts. I had a hard time controlling the bleeding. Almost done." Aura applied fresh bandages, "Your chest wound is shallow. I'm going to tape your arm to your side again."

"I feel like a mummy." Bravenwolf muttered, "Ow!"

"Sorry! Let's see to your leg." Aura cut the bandages away, "I had to get a bit drastic here." A long deep tear ran from below Bravenwolf's hip down past his knee to stop at mid-calf. At its widest point over the knee, one could see what should not be seen. Aura had begun the long process of closing the wound. "Yes, I'm a Guardian."

"You wanted to see us?" Valorn asked as he, Dromus, and Beag joined Lydendor and Tributon inside the med bay. Tributon was lying in bed with an IV in his hand, and a bucket nearby. Lydendor also sported an IV in his hand, but he was sitting in a chair next to Tributon's bed. Dr. Vera hovered near by, clearly not happy about Lydendor being out of bed.

"I did." Lydendor nodded. "I know where Notus is."

"Does it have to do with your collapse earlier?" Beag asked.

"It does. Notus contacted me. He told me where he was being held. Notus is being held on top of the Temple of the Wind. It is on the other side of the Kenobi Desert in the Valley of Storms." Lydendor explained, "He used telepathy to reach me. The first time hurts because you are not used to it. He said he would fill us in once we rescue him."

"I sent a message to Kutor to go find and bring me a map." Beag said.

"Tributon and Lydendor can't leave, not yet. Lydendor has some dehydration going on, and Tributon is bleeding into his brain." Vera snapped from where she stood, "Both of them are under 48 hours observation."

Kutor ran in with what looked like an iPad. Beag turned it on. He brought up Quarton and rotated it to its south side. A large desert covered most of the land.

"This is Kenobi Desert. Right here is the Kenobi Outpost." Beag said.

"That is my hometown." Lydendor blinked, wondering how he knew.

"Um Lydendor?" Tributon asked, sending a private message to Lydendor, who responded that he did not know where that came from.

"The Temple of the Wind is over here in the heart of the Valley of Storms." Beag showed them the valley, "This narrow valley is believed to be one of the cuts done by Bravenwolf during his fight against Villus. The largest cut is the Forge, which begins here on the bottom of Quarton. The legend says that the three knights pooled all their Tenkai energy into Bravenwolf, transforming him into Grand Bravenwolf. Grand Bravenwolf fought Mega Villus in the sky over Quarton, their battle created the valley and the Forge. Bravenwolf vanished after that battle as did the other knights."

"It is late and my patients need to rest." Vera said.

"I need a moment alone with them." Valorn requested.

"Make it quick." Vera left with the others.

"We can't go home." Lydendor replied.

"I figured as much. We're stuck here until we rescue the guardians." Tributon nodded.

"Our parents are going to be freaked out. Mine probably have already called the police. I bet Wakami and Mr. White are watching us." Valorn admitted.

"If they are watching, maybe we can send them a message?" Tributon asked.

"We have no way of knowing if they are watching." Lydendor yawned, suddenly feeling very tired.

There was a heavy silence.

"Let's focus on the Guardians. Notus is first. Tomorrow, we plot our journey to the Temple of the Wind. Orion said Bravenwolf was in the Forge, so I say we rescue him too while we are there. We do need a leader and my vote goes to Lydendor." Dromus decided.

"I second the notion." Valorn nodded.

"I agree because Lydendor seems to know what is going on." Tributon agreed.

"Dromus should lead. I am not sure, but I think each of us is connected to a different Guardian. Notus and I are linked somehow. If you think about it, my element is electricity which is tied with the wind to the sky. I need to focus on this and being leader adds too much to my plate. Dromus has the experience and we are going to have to trick Villus into thinking Bravenwolf is with us. All we have to do is paint Dromus red."

"Lydendor has a point." Dromus sighed, "I'll pretend to be Bravenwolf, and be leader."

"That is long enough. Valorn, Dromus, you two are staying in the barracks. Tributon, Lydendor, you both need to rest." Vera put an end to the meeting.

"Ow!" Bravenwolf cried out as Aura worked on his arm. The wound was healing, and Aura had decided it was time to start working the muscles to help build them up. For Bravenwolf, this was torture. He knew that this was good for him, but moving hurt, a lot.

"I know it hurts. It has to be done. Your leg has healed well. Do you want to try walking?" Aura asked, "With your injury, the sooner you start walking, the better it is for you."

"Let's try. I am going to need help. Let me move at my own pace." Carefully, after Aura helped set his injured arm back in its sling, Bravenwolf shifted so he was sitting on the edge of the bed. Aura slid under his good arm and together they stood. Carefully, Bravenwolf put weight down on his bad leg. He began to walk. It was a slow and painful process. After three trips around the room, Bravenwolf was ready to collapse. Aura walked him around the room two more times before helping him back to bed. Exhausted, Bravenwolf slept.

Aura let him sleep.

_"Are we doing the right thing, Aura?"_

_"We had to help, Halo. You and I both know that Grand Bravenwolf is our only hope."_

_"I know, but can he defeat me should Villus set me free? You can barely keep me under control these days."_

_"Everything will be fine."_

_"Chooki!"_

Lydendor woke up to see a winged lion walking toward him. He blinked, and realized he was standing on a cloud. He tensed into his battle stance, and realized he was back in his human form.

_"At ease, Chooki. Aren't your memories back? Don't you remember me?"_

"What memories? Who are you?" Chooki asked.

The winged lion changed. Chooki found himself staring at Lydendor. This new Lydendor looked older.

"My name is Lydendor, Chooki. I am you, from a long time ago. Notus has not told you the entire story, has he? Here, let me fill in some blanks. We were born in the Kenobi Outpost. You remember our home, right?" Lydendor asked.

"Um..." The memories came of a dry and sandy place. There was a school, houses, a main street filled with shops, he could smell the hot desert air, "I remember. Notus came searching for someone to become a Tenkai Knight. I remember showing off my ability, losing control, that huge storm..."

"Notus tapped us on the shoulder and helped us regain control. He chose us to become a Tenkai Knight. Do you remember meeting Bravenwolf, Tributon, Villus, and Valorn for the first time?" Lydendor asked.

"Bravenwolf was going to be team leader. Eurus worked him far harder than the rest of us. Tributon was always cracking jokes. He rarely paid any attention to Boreas. Valorn was always trying to master everything first. He and Zephyrus were always at each other's throats over the smallest things. Villus was moody. He did everything Aura asked of him. One day, Aura vanished. The Guardians would not say what happened. That day, Bravenwolf did not join us for training. Eurus worked with Villus instead." Chooki picked up, "I remember that. We were told Aura was training Bravenwolf elsewhere."

"Aura was not training Bravenwolf. She was fighting Dark Bravenwolf, trying to save him. Aura saved Bravenwolf, but there was a price. She carried him to us, and said she had to leave, that we did not need to worry about her. We were more concerned about Bravenwolf."

"He slept for a long time, ten days. It took weeks for him to recover, and he refused to talk about what happened. Dromus and Vendetta joined us shortly after. Villus turned, and there was a big battle. I remember a bright light..."

Chooki blinked, and woke up as Lydendor on Quarton. Vera was leaning over him, shining a penlight into his left optic.

"Welcome back, Lydendor. You've been sleeping for three days." Vera greeted, "There is nothing wrong with you medically. It appears you were under telepathic control. You are fine."

"Does that mean I'm free to go?" Lydendor asked.

"Nope. I want to observe you for a bit first." Vera grinned, "Incoming." She stepped aside.

"Incoming?" The next thing Lydendor knew, he was being crushed by Valorn and Tributon, "Can't breathe!"

"I thought you were going to sleep forever!" Valorn sobbed.

"I had to deal with it too!" Tributon wailed, "Dromus was no help at all!"

"What did I miss?" Lydendor asked.

"Training, Dromus's marathon planning session, Villus getting his aft handed to him by Dromus painted to look like Bravenwolf, Beag putting us to work-"

"I shouldn't have asked." Lydendor sighed, "What is the game plan?"

"We are moving the main camp back to Riverfalls Cove. It is a spot surrounded on three sides by mountains. It is far safer there. After that we leave to travel to the Temple of the Wind." Dromus said, walking into the room, "I decided to wear Bravenwolf's colors until we are well underway toward the Temple. There are four temples; the Temple of Ice is on the other side of Polar Tundra. The Temple of Fire sits in a ring of volcanoes deep in the Eastern Ocean. The Temple of Earth sits underground in the western hills. We start with Notus."

"When do we leave?" Lydendor asked.

"Now." Dromus looked up.

"WE'RE UNDER ATTACK! UNDER ATTACK!" Kutor ran by.

"Insert whatever Bravenwolf says and let's go!" Dromus ordered.

The Knights rushed outside for battle.

"Easy, now." Aura watched as Bravenwolf walked by himself. His chest wound had nearly vanished. His arm and leg were bandaged, but his arm was no longer tied to his side. His leg was still healing as it reminded him with each step. The pain was tolerable. His arm felt much better. He longed to train with his shield and sword, but that was still days away. His head snapped up. In his mind's eye, he saw Villus leap, bringing his staff down toward Tributon's neck. Bravenwolf screamed no, and his vision turned red. He saw red energy like flames leap up in front of Tributon, who yelped and dove backward. The flames ignored him and swept toward Villus. He tried to fend off the flames, but they surrounded him and he was struck hard. Bravenwolf cried out again.

"Shh, okay, it's okay now." Aura soothed, gently stroking Bravenwolf's helm, "You are okay."

"Ah, Augh, what? What, ah, what happened?" Bravenwolf blinked.

"It is okay. Bravenwolf, are you telepathic?" Aura asked.

"Augh, my head is killing me. I'm not, ah, at least I don't think so." Bravenwolf replied.

"Easy, now. I think you just attacked someone with your mind. Telepathy is a Guardians ability." Aura thought, "Bravenwolf, you might be beginning to ascend to Guardianhood."

**Queen Sunstar: Another chapter done. Up next, the journey begins as the Knights travel toward the Temple of the Wind. Orion will be dropping a bombshell on the Knights and Tributon finally realizes they are not rescuing Bravenwolf yet. Don't be shy, leave a review. Let me know of any mistakes you see or any ideas you may have. I don't mind flames, as long as you let me know why you are giving a flame**


	3. The Journey Begins

Wakamei listened from the hallway as her parents talked to a police detective about her missing brother. Guren, Ceylon, and Chooki were missing as well. They were not the only ones. 12 other young boys had vanished, and two of them had turned up dead in a dumpster, victims of the Shade. She sighed to herself.

"Wakamei, come here." Mrs. Dalton called, "Detective Saito would like to talk to you."

Wakamei joined her parents in the living room.

"Wakamei Dalton, older sister of Toxsa Dalton. My name is Detective Saito Hikari, lead detective on this case. When was the last time you saw your brother?" Saito asked.

"He and his friends were taking up space at the diner just before the dinner rush. Toxsa is friends with Guren Nash, Ceylan Jones, and Chooki Mason. They sometimes hang out with Gen Inukai. The time was around 4:45 PM. They rushed off quickly somewhere." Wakamei answered.

"An ambulance was dispatched to the Shop of Wonders at 5:55 PM to take Ceylan and Chooki to the hospital where Ceylan was treated for a concussion. Chooki said that a mask fell on Ceylan. Chooki left at 6:30 PM, and Ceylan was discharged at 7:30 PM. He was picked up by Gen. Ceylan's parents said Ceylan never came home last night. Gen's legal guardian is out of country and can't be reached. Is there anything you can add?" Saito asked.

"Mr. White, who is the owner of the Shop of Wonders has been tutoring the boys in history after Guren failed a history test. I have sat in on one of their sessions, and Mr. White teaches through the use of his mini robot collection. I have bought a few items there for an oral history report on the Ming Dynasty." Wakamei replied.

"Mr. White said he last saw the boys at 8:30 PM. He offered to drive them home, but the boys declined the offer." Saito said, "Here is my business card. I want you to call me if you think of anything, no matter how crazy, simple, unimportant, or odd it may seem."

"I'm going to the Shop of Wonders. I have an item to pick up for my oral report." Wakamei asked.

"Here." Her mother handed her a watch that looked like Toxsa's, "I want you to call me when you get there and before you leave."

"I will do that." Wakamei nodded.

"Chief has decided to issue a 7:00 pm to 7:00 AM curfew, so make sure you are home by then." Detective Saito left as Wakamei gathered her history supplies. At least part of her story was true. Mr. White was helping her with her oral report. She really did have an item to pick up too, and she planned to check in on her brother. It appeared that the Guardians were missing, and until the Knights rescued them, they could not come home.

* * *

"What on Quarton was that?" Valorn cried out as he ran to Tributon's side, "Was that you? You got to teach us that!"

"It wasn't me!" Tributon was trembling.

"Dromus?" Beag asked.

"I didn't do that ether." Dromus knelt by Tributon, "Are you okay?"

"I think so. This is going to sound insane, but it felt really familiar, like Bravenwolf." Tributon looked up.

"That is insane." Dromus answered, "Are you still concussed?"

"I'm not concussed anymore. I know what I felt. I miss him, Dromus." Tributon stared at where the fire came from, "When are we going to rescue him?"

Dromus froze. Valorn made knife gestures in front of his neck. Lydendor mouthed the word no. Beag face palmed.

"We not going to rescue Bravenwolf." Dromus braced himself.

Tributon started to laugh. It wasn't his normal laugh ether. It was the same laugh Lydendor had heard in the hospital days earlier.

"That's a good one! You had me going for a moment there! When do we leave?" Tributon asked.

"Um, after we reach the new camp, to rescue Notus." Dromus answered, "After that, we might travel through the Forge."

Tributon opened his mouth to object.

"Orion! It's too dangerous out here for you!" Beag cried out before Tributon could say what was on his mind.

"Quarton has shown me something new. I see a Knight gone dark. He is filled with grief and rage. In his arms, he holds the body of a Knight silenced forever." Orion limped toward Tributon, "You will meet up with Bravenwolf, when you travel through the Forge to reach Guardian Zephryus."

"Do you know who?" Dromus asked.

"I know who, but I am forbidden to tell you." Orion answered, "What is this? A guardian fighting the dark knight? It can't be Eurus. Wait, I need to see more! No, wait! It is gone now. I see the final battle, but... no, it can't be! You Knights must kill one of your own!"

"Who?" Valorn choked out.

"It is better that you don't know." Orion looked shaken, "I must meditate on this."

"We need Bravenwolf if we hope to rescue the Guardians." Tributon sighed.

* * *

Bravenwolf gave up on trying to sleep. He tried to imagine himself as a Guardian but he couldn't. He wondered what it would mean. Would he have to stay on Quarton forever? A snort brought his attention to his bedside.

"Hey, Aries. What do you think about me being a Guardian?" Bravenwolf reached up to scratch Aries muzzle. The war stallion leaned into the scratch and sighed with pleasure.

"Can't sleep?" Aura asked, "I see you found Aries sweet spot."

"Too many questions." Bravenwolf answered, "Don't I have a say in being a Guardian?"

"Not necessarily. There are always five Guardians. When a Guardian passes, Quarton will select a new Guardian from his children. The one selected ascends when the time is right. Sometimes Quarton selects while there still is five. When this happens, you are given a choice. Boreas was given a choice and he chose Gaurdianhood." Aura answered, "I was born into Guardianhood. My mother was a Guardian and my father was a simple soldier. When I was born, it was clear I was destined for Guardianhood. I don't know anything else except being a Guardian."

_"You think he is your missing son."_

_"He looks so much like his father. He is our missing son. You know it is true, Halo. He is called Bravenwolf, which is what we named him."_

_"You know what is going to come, what he must do to us. I can't control the Darkness anymore then you can."_

_"Nether can Villus. I only hope the Knights can bring themselves to do what must be done when the time comes."_

Bravenwolf had fallen asleep as Aura stroked his helm. She stayed with him until he woke up much later.

* * *

The camp had been broken up and they were on the move. Lydendor found himself staring at Orion, who was riding in a wagon next to him. Orion looked a tiny bit like Bravenwolf. They had the same head sculpt. Change the blue to white... Lydendor's jaw would have hit the floor of the wagon if he wasn't wearing his mask. They all had donned their masks to keep from breathing in the swirling dust of the dry ground. They would reach the cove shortly after sunset. Lydendor shook his head. He figured he was missing Bravenwolf and was starting to see him everywhere. Tributon rode up on a sky Griffin and paced the wagon.

"Take a look at Orion, and imagine him red and white." Lydendor whispered to Tributon. Tributon looked, and the sky griffin squawked as it suddenly found its head yanked back. Tributon quickly corrected himself and gave the beast a few quick pats. He had surprised everyone when he revealed that he knew how to ride.

"He'd be a dead ringer for Bravenwolf!" Tributon hissed back once he got the griffin settled down, "He is not our Bravenwolf!"

"Notus is going to have some explaining to do." Lydendor muttered, "Orion, may I ask you a question?"

"Yes?" Orion asked, turning to face Lydendor.

"Are we all going to survive?" Lydendor asked.

"I can't say. You will face hardships, grief, pain, yet joy, good times, and desperation. You can return to your world once you rescue Notus. You will prevail in your mission." Orion answered.

"Me next." Tributon said, "Bravenwolf will rejoin us, right?"

"He will. Notus will begin his training soon enough. He has a destiny just as you do." Orion answered.

"Ooh, I want to ask a question too!" Valorn was riding behind Beag on a war stallion. "I'm the one going dark, right?"

"I can safely say it is not you, or Lydendor." Orion answered.

"I guess I'm the one silenced forever." Dromus was walking in titan mode.

"It's not you." Orion looked away, "I only hope you can do what needs to be done when the time comes."

"What do we need to do?" Lydendor asked.

Orion caught the gaze of each Knight, his golden gaze cloudy with age and wisdom. He sighed, a war of emotion raging inside of himself. After a lengthy silence, he spoke at last. "Can you hurt one of your own to save Quarton?"

Dromus was the first to speak, "If it came down to it, I would."

"What?" Valorn squawked, "This is all a ploy! You are not really on our side are you, Dromus!"

"So would I." Lydendor answered next.

"You too, Lydendor? Did Dromus brainwash you?" Valorn asked.

"It will hurt me to do so, and I would do so." Tributon replied.

"Even you, Tributon? What's going on here? Friends don't hurt friends!" Valorn wailed.

"Well, Valorn?" Orion waited.

Valorn sputtered, "I would knock some sense into any of you."

"Can you kill one of your own to save Quarton?" Orion looked pained.

"No! I draw the line at that!" Tributon and Valorn chorused together. Lydendor echoed their sentiment.

"No, Orion. I can't do that to my friends." Dromus responded, "It is not fair to them, or to me."

* * *

Bravenwolf held his sword and shield. His injured arm ached, but he pressed his attack against Aura, armed with her own shield and sword. Bravenwolf knew he wasn't a hundred percent yet. Aura caught the attack on the flat part of her sword. They parted.

"Tired yet? You don't want to over do it." Aura asked.

"I'm fine, just a little stiff." Bravenwolf seemed to be staring off into space.

"Are you okay?" Aura asked.

"I was just thinking about me being a telepath. It actually makes sense. I often knew what my fellow knights were thinking before they spoke. I have always been good at sensing emotions." Bravenwolf replied.

"What you saw happen was an act of telekinesis, which is part of being a telepath. Eurus is a telepath and has been noted to carry objects with his mind. In fact, I once caught him floating in place and writing using his mind. He said it was faster this way, he couldn't write fast enough with his hand to keep up with his mind, so one day he started writing with his mind." Aura giggled softly, "Boreas can astral project himself, Notus can teleport, and Zephyrus can levitate. I can see the lines of Tenkai in everything. Have you been thinking about becoming a Guardian? You'll start out as a junior guardian to Eurus who will train you. Boreas served his junior hood under Zeus alongside me."

"I'm still trying to get used to the idea of me being a Guardian. I know I can handle it, but I'm not sure if I can leave my team. I was ill and had to stay in bed. They fell apart and it nearly cost Tributon his life. I got there just as Slyger was about to cut Tributon's throat. I traded myself for Tributon, and the last thing I remember was my Knight's horrified screams. Slyger had plunged his claws into my stomach. He did a lot of damage, and by right I should have died. Beag said later that he rushed to my side and got pressure on my wounds, preventing me from bleeding out. I spent almost two months recovering, with one of those months in a coma." Bravenwolf answered, "Their screams haunt my nightmares."

* * *

"Granox, Slyger, Shadius, and Rho, The Darkness has spoken." Villus said, "You have been given a mission. You will be empowered by the Darkness, your forms changed, your power unsurpassable! Each of you will target one Knight and destroy them! Failure is not an option! Do I make myself clear, Slyger and Granox?"

"Yeah, is that clear, you two?" Shadius sniggered, "I call Valorn."

"I want Lydendor!" Rho called out.

"I want Bravenwolf! No, I called it first!" Slyger and Granox said at the same time, "Stop copying me! You're copying me! You shut up!"

"No one is going after Bravenwolf!" Rho snapped, "He's not with the knights! Your choices are Tributon and Dromus!"

"I'll deal with Tributon." Granox decided.

"I'll handle the traitor." Slyger grinned.

* * *

Halo struggled against her bonds. She had to get free, and bring the Darkness under control. After some struggling, she shut her optics and focused on Aura.

_"I can't get free. This really sucks. I am no damsel in distress!"_

_"Halo, be patient. I'm coming. Bravenwolf is nearly fully healed."_

_"You can't! This is the Darkness we're talking about, big sister! You can't come near it just as I can't come near the light!"_

_"I know, little sister. I can't let Villus hurt you."_

Halo resumed fighting for freedom, but her bonds refused to break. Villus came in followed by his four minions. Halo knew what was coming. Villus used his staff to draw in power and give it to his minions. Slyger turned black as the Darkness entered him. His green slitted visor vanished as a pair of solid red eyes opened where it used to be. His tail grew longer and gained an axe on the tip. His claws reshaped themselves as they multiplied and molded into his hands. His helm stayed the same, but a new green tinted visor slipped down over his new eyes. Granox was next. He turned black and his blue turned red. His visor turned red and his horns sharpened themselves. Shadius gained a shiny new black paint job with his highlights darkening to the color of fresh blood. He gained the tail of a scorpion. Rho's colors darkened as he cackled evilly. His white remained white as he gained a pair of shiny black wings.

"Wait! You don't know what you are doing, Villus! The Darkness is never meant to be controlled!" Halo cried out desperately, "Think of the Balance! You'll destroy Quarton!"

Villus turned and strode up to the Dark Guardian, "I hate this as much as you do, my sweet Halo."

"What you are doing is dangerous, Villus. Things are so messed up as it is. I feel like we're dumping oil on the fire. Aura is coming." Halo looked down.

"We lost the right to make our choice thanks to Bravenwolf. It still sickens me, knowing that this very Darkness slept inside of him. You know as well as I do that this is the only chance we got to fix this." Villus's optics shifted from red to their normal pink, "At least he did manage to give us time."

"I still don't like this idea. I know you are only trying to give us a little more time as it is. I only hope what needs to happen does happen." Halo looked up at Villus, "Bravenwolf is nearly fully healed. We did not need that set back caused by him being injured. I'm scared, Villus. We have so little of a chance to fix this."

"We have hope. The Darkness will be contained." Villus leaned forward and gently placed a light kiss on Halo's mouth. He hated having to have her tied up, but she would attract the Darkness and end up consumed. He could not let that happen.

* * *

The camp was set up in the new location. It was night, and everyone was asleep. Lydendor was not sleeping. He sat against a rock and stared at the sky. Stars twinkled brightly. Which star was Sol? Were his parents staring at the sky too, worrying about him? Were they even looking at the same sky? There was Ursa Major, over there was the Big Dipper, was that Pegasus? Lydendor sighed, feeling homesick.

"I am home, so why the homesickness? No, Earth is my home. I've been Lydendor too long now." He murmured, "I miss home, but which home do I miss? Is it Kenobi Oasis, or Benham City? Could it be that the original Lydendor and I are one and the same?"

Lydendor shifted through his memories. Again, he watched Grand Bravenwolf fight Mega Villus. Villus had fallen, and Bravenwolf had turned toward him. He recalled the warm light. He'd had the distinct sensation that the light loved him as it ensconced him, a female voice saying he could rest now. Wait, what? Had he been injured? Yes, he had a tear in his chest that was leaking fluid. A blue helm, someone pressing down on his chest, Tributon? A wetness. Yes, Tributon was crying. There was no pain. His vision had started to fade when the light washed over him. He was dying? Yes, he had been bleeding out.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Lydendor shot into the air with a surprised yelp. He turned, a hand on his chest as what passed for a heart in a bot began to slow down, "Tributon! Don't ever sneak up on me like that again!"

"Sorry man. I came out here to get away from Valorn's snoring. What were you thinking about?" Tributon asked.

"I was..." Lydendor trailed off. He hadn't told anyone about what had happened to him while he was in his three day nap. "I was thinking about what Notus had told me."

"Has he contacted you again?" Tributon asked.

"Not exactly. I'll explain in the morning." Lydendor and Tributon returned to the barracks. Valorn was no longer snoring, courtesy of the fact someone had tied strap of flexible metal around his head. "Chin strap, clever."

* * *

**Queen Sunstar: another chapter done. Up next, the Knights brave the danger of Kenobi Desert, and face their first battle against the Darkness empowered enemy.**


	4. kenobi Outpost

The four Knights stood in their titan modes on the edge of the Kenobi Desert. Ahead of them stretched an endless sea of brown sand and scrub bush.

"I hope we packed enough water." Tributon broke the silence.

"I'm thirsty just thinking about stepping into this place." Valorn replied.

"Let's get moving." Dromus leapt into flight. The next few hours passed in silence as the Knights traveled over the hot sands.

"I'm bored. Every bush and rock looks like the bush and rock we passed before it." Valorn broke the silence.

"When we camp for the night, there is something I must tell you. It concerns my three day nap." Lydendor said, "I think the original Lydendor and I are one and the same."

Dromus suddenly stopped, his head up, listening. Valorn opened his mouth, but a low rumble underfoot stopped him. Behind them, clouds of sand rose from the desert floor. The rumbling stopped.

"What was that?" Tributon asked.

His answer came in an eruption of sand. A long and large body arched high over their heads. It let loose with a thunderous roar.

"It's the Dweller from the depths!" Valorn screamed.

"It is a worm, Valorn! A giant worm!" Dromus drew his sword, "Insert Bravenwolf's battle cry here! Cross Divide!" Dromus leapt into the air and slashed with his sword, a purple x shaped cut rushing along the ground to slam into the worm. When the dust cleared, there was no mark on the worm. It roared, and lunged forward. The Knights screamed and ran for their lives.

* * *

Bravenwolf focused on the pencil before him. It wobbled, and bounced in place before lifting into the air. It waggled in place. Slowly, it went still. He let it fall back to the table and reached up to rub his temples. Practicing left him with a headache. Aura had decided that he should practice moving objects with his mind. It would help him later on. So, he practiced, and dealt with the resulting headache.

"Bravenwolf, we are going to part ways tomorrow. You need to travel north and meet up with your Knights. I am going to travel south down the forge toward Villus's fortress. I need to rescue my sister. I'll be fine." Aura walked into the room.

"I should go with you. I've fought Villus before." Bravenwolf turned to her, "Villus trapped the other Guardians. It is not safe."

"Still, I must go. Your Knights will need you. Please, go north. Leave Villus to me." Aura pleaded.

"I will do as you say." Bravenwolf decided not to press the issue.

* * *

"This thing's got to have a weakness!" Lydendor cried out.

"Guys, I've got an idea!" Valorn gasped between pants, "We need to robofuse into the protojet first and score a hit in it's mouth!"

"We need Bravenwolf for that!" Tributon wheezed.

"I don't think I can robofuse with you!" Dromus called out, "Tributon, you are with me! Valorn, Lydendor, distract it!" The Knights separated, "Tributon, fire your arrows the moment it opens it's mouth!"

Tributon readied himself as Dromus prepared to unleash a cross divide. The worm dove, mouth open, toward Lydendor. Valorn screamed. One cross divide and several blue arrows vanished down the worms mouth. It burped.

"Did it just-" Tributon started.

BOOM!

The worm exploded. The Knights gathered together.

"Giant Sand Worm," Lydendor began, "That one was just a baby. The adults are smaller, and far easier to slay. They hate fire."

"We don't have fire!" Valorn said, "Unless shadow fire counts."

"Let's get moving, and hope we don't run into another worm." Dromus ordered, "I'll be thrilled when we meet up with Bravenwolf."

They took off again.

"I wonder how Bravenwolf is doing?" Tributon broke the silence.

"Well, we know he is alive." Valorn said.

"According to my map, we should be coming up to Kenobi Oasis in another hour. We should start seeing the beginning of the first cut in a few minutes. Once we are past that, no more worms." Lydendor increased his speed.

* * *

"Ow!" Bravenwolf dropped back into his core form, gasping through the pain. Going into titan mode hurt. He knew he was not 100%. He clenched his teeth and tried again, fighting the burning agony that gripped him. He was screaming as the transformation completed. Dropping to the floor, he curled up into fetal position as waves of fire rolled through him. He shut his optics off.

"Bravenwolf!" Gentle hands prodded his body.

"Just... give me a minute!" Bravenwolf hissed.

His pain began to wax and wane until it dropped back down to tolerable. He turned his optics back on to see Aura with a concerned look on her face watching him. "I'm okay now. The pain is fading."

"You should avoid titan mode until you've recovered some more." Aura replied, "You are not fully healed. Can you return to your core form? I'll help you along."

Bravenwolf began the transformation again. He felt Aura guiding his body back to his normal mode. Titan mode was definitely out of the question for now. He rose onto shaky legs and reassured Aura that he would be fine. It was time for them to part ways. Bravenwolf gathered his sword and shield. He stepped outside and took in the beauty that was the Forge.

The Forge was a vast and narrow canyon. Steep walls rose to meet a strip of blue sky. Mottled browns, reds, yellows, and oranges colored the walls, each color horizontal like if some artist had painted them. After saying good bye to each other and Bravenwolf expressing his thanks for her aid in helping him, Knight and Guardian parted ways.

* * *

"When do we strike?" Shadius asked.

"Soon." Slyger hissed, watching as Dromus took out a large worm, "Attack only your target."

"Can't wait to test out these new powers." Rho nodded.

"Can we attack now?" Granox asked.

"Soon. Let them tire out fighting off worms. They will be easy pickings for us." Slyger readied himself, "When the last worm falls, now!"

The four Darkness empowered warriors charged their quarry.

* * *

"Traitor!" Slyger screeched as Dromus turned to catch the black panther's claws on his sword.

"What did Villus do to you, Slyger?" Dromus asked, "You are weak!"

"Once again Granox attacks me, and once again I wipe the floor with him." Tributon tossed Granox aside, "They must have forgotten to power up in the upgrade."

"This is too easy." Lydendor dealt with Shadius.

"I almost feel bad for them." Valorn sent Rho running.

"I agree." Dromus sent Slyger reeling.

"Regroup!" Slyger called, "I had hoped it wouldn't come to this, but you asked for it! Slyger titan mode, activate! Darkness Overloaded! How do you like me now, Dromus?"

"Here we g- oof!" Dromus got kicked hard in the side, the blow driving him to his knees. Tributon started to move to his aid, but Granox, now in his own titan mode, nailed him between the shoulder blades. He folded like a stack of cards. Lydendor hit the ground with a groan. Rho planted a foot on his back. Valorn barely managed to dodge Shadius's blows.

"Rho, Shadius, wrong targets!" Slyger snapped.

Both dark titans quickly switched. Valorn held his own against Rho until Rho sent a vicious upper cut that connected with Valorns chest that sent him to the ground. Lydendor tried to rise. Tributon tried to bring his crossbow to bear. Dromus thrashed, trying to throw Slyger off of him. Valorn groaned, protecting his bruised chest. His staff lay just out of reach.

"We're not... done yet..." Lydendor struggled to reclaim his feet.

"Oh you are done, Lydendor!" Shadius kicked the yellow knight over onto his back, "Beg for your life!"

"No." Lydendor growled, his fingers closing around his shield.

"Now I know what a heart attack probably feels like..." Valorn rolled onto his back, his right hand snapping up his staff.

Dromus reclaimed his knees, but Slyger pounced, bringing him back down again. He had claimed his sword. Tributon inched up onto his side, his target sighted. He let an arrow fly.

As one, the Knights moved, rising to their feet and standing back to back in a circle. The dark titans circled their prey. Lydendor was breathing hard, Dromus's right optic was out, Tributon held his crossbow in his left hand, his right arm up against his chest. Valorn leaned on his staff. They were in a stand off.

"Everybody still able to function?" Dromus asked, exhaustion in his voice.

"I'll live." Lydendor tensed.

"I'm okay." Valorn answered.

"I'm fine." Tributon readied himself.

"We need to break through their defensive line." Lydendor said, "And we don't have our star quarterback."

"Nor do we have a wizard level defense potion." Valorn added.

"Not the metaphors! Anything but the metaphors!" Tributon wailed.

"I don't have a plan." Dromus hung his head, "Some leader I am, leading us into this cleverly laid trap! We need Bravenwolf!"

"You are doing fine, Dromus. You got us this far!" Lydendor shot back, "Get us out of this!"

"I bet one lime parfait that they do have a plan." Tributon whispered to Valorn, who agreed.

"One round of Goblin Mage Maze too." Valorn added as they shook hands to seal the deal.

"Enough! Surrender, Knights, and just maybe, Villus will let you live!" Slyger laughed, which changed to a horrifying scream as he reverted back to block form courtesy of a very familiar red sword that had gutted him. Standing behind him in titan mode and in pain was none other then Bravenwolf himself.

"Bravenwolf! You are back!" Valorn cheered.

"Who is... next?" Bravenwolf hissed through clenched teeth.

"That would be me." Shadius charged.

Bravenwolf met the charge head on. Tributon and Valorn took out Granox while Rho fell at Dromus's and Lydendor's attack. Shadius tried to land a hit on Bravenwolf. He noticed that the red knight was in pain, and was favoring his right leg. He was also holding his sword in his left hand. His shield was on his back. He held his right arm close to his body. Shadius charged toward Bravenwolf's left side, forcing the knight to use his right side. Bravenwolf managed to catch the attack, but was forced off balance. He slashed wide, missing Shadius completely. Overcorrecting, he came down hard on his right leg. It was too injured to take the punishment, folding under him. He fell to the ground with a hiss of pain. Shadius kicked him onto his back.

"That's enough!" Dromus charged, the Knights right behind him. Shadius decided four on one were bad odds and retreated. Tributon ran to Bravenwolf's side.

"Are you okay?" He asked.

"I will be, once someone helps me get out of titan mode." Bravenwolf's optics were flickering. Gently, Tributon guided him out of titan mode.

"Better?" Tributon asked, "You look like you are going to pass out."

"I am." Bravenwolf was fighting it.

"Go ahead. I'll carry you." Tributon hated to see his friend in so much pain. He waited until consciousness left Bravenwolf, bringing relief to what must have been pure torture. He rose, holding Bravenwolf, "Lets go. Bravenwolf will be fine. He is just sleeping."

"He's in rough shape." Lydendor replied, "What happened to him?"

"We'll find out when he is able to tell us." Dromus nodded, "Let's move out."

The Knights pressed forward again.

* * *

It was dark out when Bravenwolf woke up again. He was still hurting, but he was feeling much better. Carefully, he moved.

"Careful."

Bravenwolf turned, "Valorn."

"The others are scouting the oasis. Dromus wanted a birds eye view, and Tributon is our flyer." Valorn said, "Lydendor says he knows this place." He was still in titan mode.

"Where are we?" Bravenwolf asked.

"This is the Kenobi Outpost. No, don't try to get up. Rest." Valorn said, "We need you back in fighting shape."

"I'm fine. My titan mode is locked." Bravenwolf stood and tested his right leg. It refused to support him, and he would have ended up face planting into the sand if Valorn had not reached out to grab him. "Walking is out." He settled back into the warm sand, "I remember shoving Tributon out of the way of the disk."

"Tributon ended up striking his head on a rock, giving him a mild concussion." Valorn supplied, "We came right back to Quarton to find you."

"I woke up in the care of Aura, a Guardian. She nursed me back to health. We parted ways after a few days. I spotted you, titaned up, and rushed to your rescue." Bravenwolf explained, "It was the disk that left me like this. I was a lot worse when Aura found me."

The other Knights returned.

"We will reach the temple tomorrow." Dromus said, "We'll be home tomorrow night, if all goes well."

Bravenwolf filled them in on what happened to him, "My titan mode is locked, and I can't walk. Go ahead and leave me behind. You know you can't carry me and fight at the same time."

"Not going to happen. I'll carry you." Lydendor shook his head, "I'm ambidextrous, remember? I can use ether hand to handle my shield. I'm not leaving you behind."

"No, you will not get in the way." Tributon added, "You are coming with us."

"What good can I do like this?" Bravenwolf asked.

"Moral support." Valorn replied, "And our cheering section, of course."

"We'll find a use for you." Dromus added.

"Many dungeons have places only small guys can get to, and I'm sure we'll find one and use you to check it out." Valorn said.

"We need to rest up for tomorrow." Dromus said. "It is going to be a long day."

The knights agreed, and began to settle down for the night.

"There is something I want to tell you. Remember my three day nap? Well, I wasn't talking to Notus. I was talking to the original Lydendor. I was remembering things from long ago. I think the original Lydendor and I are one and the same. It is how I knew this place was my hometown. Kenobi Oasis is my hometown. It is in ruin now, but I remember how it used to be. All young Corkai dreamed of being searched and bonding with a Great Griffin and becoming a Rider. I wanted this so badly. The Great Griffins and their Riders patrolled the desert for sand worms, killing those they found. One day, I was searched. I eagerly awaited hatching day. Notus was going to be there, and I wanted to impress him by bonding. The day came at last. All of us teens that had been searched lined up at the nest. I remember the Griffin female smelling us. Just before the first egg cracked, there was a roar. A giant sand worm crashed through town. Riders and their Griffins attacked, but they couldn't stop it. I remember Notus rushing the worm. Its tail came down inches from the nest. I got angry. The worm reached the nest and I unleashed a lightning storm, which sand worms are terrified of. As it retreated, I fried it. I lost control. Notus tapped me on my shoulder and helped me regain control. He said he had found his Knight." Lydendor looked around, "I met you and we trained together. I remember giving Bravenwolf my tenkai energy which allowed him to become Grand Bravenwolf. I was injured, and l think I was dying. There was the bright light, then nothing until Earth."

"Could the rest of us be the same way?" Valorn asked.

"I don't know." Lydendor said, "But it is possible."

"That means that ether me or Bravenwolf is the original Bravenwolf. It is most likely Bravenwolf." Dromus thought out loud.

Silence fell as the Knights slept. Lydendor stared up at the sky. There was something he was not remembering, but what? He sighed. Walking through the ruin of the town had brought back a flood of memories. There were the many hatching days, the dream of being searched, watching as the older teens bonded, finally being searched, Notus... He flinched. Notus had said he was on a search of his own. Realization dawned on Lydendor. Notus knew. Notus had known Lydendor was a Knight. Things clicked into place. He recalled his last moments before Earth. He had been dying. The light had come from Grand Bravenwolf. He also realized something else. The original Bravenwolf was most likely not alive. It took a while for Lydendor to fall asleep.

* * *

Queen Sunstar: Another chapter done. Next chapter has lots of action ad the Knights must face the Temple of the Wind. Lydendor's arc will be finished and Valorn's arc will begin. At the same time, Guren will face a challenge of his own.

Ch. 5: Temple of the Wind

Ch. 6: Guren's problem (GoldDragonNinja's lake scene idea will appear here.)

Ch. 7: The Fifth Guardians

Ch. 8: Forlorn Valorn

Ch. 9: Temple of the Earth


	5. Temple of the Wind

Notus watched warily as Shadius prowled around the pillar he was chained to. He needed a good stretch.

"You don't have to do this, Shadius." Notus was also bored.

"Nobody said you could talk, Guardian!" Shadius hissed, "Lydendor better get here soon! I can't wait to hear him beg and scream as I slowly kill him!"

"You wish." Notus would have rolled his eyes if he were able to. "We both know Lydendor is going to mop the floor with you."

Shadius reared up and back handed Notus in the head. Having already prepared for it, Notus shook off the blow easily. He listened to the wind, and grinned. Overhead, the great fan began to creak and groan as ancient machinery came to life. On the top of the four towers, four smaller fans swung about to get into the best position for the coming wind gust. The great fan came into position as its blades began to rotate. As Notus had known, the wind came with a high wail to thunder through the Great Fan.

Situated inside a narrow canyon, the Temple of the Wind was a giant wind harvester. It consisted of four towers on a large square base. Each tower was connected to a central building with the Great Fan on top. Windows, arches, and brown brick made up the temple. This was also the home of Notus.

The noise died away. The harvested wind would be piped down into one of the vast storage tanks where it would stay until it was cleaned and shipped out to where it was needed, which was usually to Boreas who used the wind to transport his clouds.

* * *

"So you two did have a plan yesterday?" Valorn asked, "Will you stop squirming, Bravenwolf? I swear I will drop you!"

"Sorry, dealing with a leg cramp." Bravenwolf managed to settle down a bit, "Oh not again!"

"Do you want to try to walk?" Lydendor asked, concerned.

"I'll be fine. I swallowed enough sand already. Sorry, Valorn!" Bravenwolf caught himself starting to squeeze Valorn's shoulder again.

"Somebody please take him!" Valorn begged.

"Come here, and try moving your leg a bit." Lydendor rescued Bravenwolf, who settled on his shoulder, "You are likely cramping up due to not using your leg. Even though it hurts, you want to move your leg a bit to keep circulation going."

Bravenwolf did as he was told, "It still hurts."

"We did have a plan. I spotted Bravenwolf so Lydendor and I distracted Slyger. Down there, that must be the Temple of the Wind." Dromus stopped to take in the temple.

"We rescue Notus and we can go home. It won't be much longer now." Lydendor replied.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Valorn began walking down to the valley floor. They walked up to the temple. The wind shrieked as the ancient machinery whirred, moving the fans to get the most of the wind.

"It is a wind harvester!" Lydendor looked up at the large fan, "One of my chores was to clean the fans. It is safe to say that I hated that chore."

"Ow! Not again!" Bravenwolf hissed through his teeth. He moved his injured leg a bit, hissing as the movement brought more pain, "I'll be fine in a moment. The cramps come and go. Sorry, Lydendor, I hope I didn't squeeze you too hard."

"Don't worry. I didn't feel you squeezing my shoulder. I'm not hypersensitive to touch like Valorn. Well, lets move on." Lydendor took the lead.

The Knights entered the temple. The main room was big and open. Air streamed down openings in the ceiling to holes in the floor. Large pipes crisscrossed the ceiling. The floor, walls, and ceiling were made of the same brown brick.

"This is too easy. There's no defenses." Valorn stepped into the room. There was a hissing noise. Lydendor reached out and yanked Valorn back in time to avoid being skewered on three spears. "On second thought, there's defenses!"

"How are we to cross this room?" Tributon asked, "Our shields won't stop those spears."

"I don't think we're fast enough ether, and if Bravenwolf is hit, the spear will go right through him without stopping." Dromus nodded.

"I lived here. I know how to handle the defenses." Lydendor pointed out, "Watch me. Dromus, take Bravenwolf for a moment." Lydendor took his shield and waved it outside the foyer. He pulled it back to let the three spears fly by before darting forward to stand between two of the openings, "It is safe between the openings. The harvested wind is funneled through the openings."

Dromus went next, making sure Bravenwolf was on the shoulder opposite the direction of the spears. He waved his sword and darted across to Lydendor. Valorn went next. Tributon waved his crossbow, but nothing happened. Thinking it was safe, he stepped into the opening. There was a familiar hiss.

"Tributon!" Bravenwolf cried out.

Tributon turned and screamed. Time slowed down. The three spears streaked toward him. He was frozen in place. Tributon wondered briefly if the spears would kill him quickly. Bravenwolf acted, lashing out with his mind to shove Tributon forward and out of harms way. Tributon stumbled to the Knights, Valorn grabbing him before he could collapse. Bravenwolf's vision grew hazy.

"I'm not hit." Tributon's voice sounded far away. Color bled away to black and white. Dromus's face swam into view. Noise died away. Everything went black.

* * *

She was back on earth in her human form. Aura stepped into Mr. White's shop from the portal room.

"Aura? I thought the portal was down." Mr. White met her.

"The portal is down. I traveled here by drop ship. It was not easy to navigate the zone between worlds. The portal can still open and close. It can't send you anywhere." Aura explained, "I came to find Nash. I know he is worried about Guren."

"You really shouldn't be here." Mr. White shook his head.

"I know I'm taking a huge risk. The balance is already shifted, and I know my leaving Quarton didn't help. I have to find Nash." Aura stepped around Mr. White.

Aura was wearing a knee length black skirt with a white blouse. Black heels covered her feet. A purse and a black jacket completed her look. She had dark brown hair and her eyes were dark blue, nearly violet. Red bangs hung on her forehead. A streak of red hair parted her brown hair.

She stepped outside. Walking, she headed toward the glass tower in the heart of Benham City. She did not have to go far.

Mr. Nash was walking toward the Dalton Diner for lunch. He was worried about Guren, and he knew that the police were doing everything they could to find him. He looked up and froze. There was no mistaking those eyes or that hair. His mouth fell open.

"Aura?" Mr. Nash dashed through the crowd, "Aura!"

Aura turned, "Nash!"

They raced to each others arms.

"Aura, it's you! It's really you!" Mr. Nash did not want to let her go.

"Nash! I missed you so much!" Aura wanted to remain in his arms, "I heard about Guren. I know he is okay."

"He looks more like you everyday. He has your eyes." Mr. Nash replied.

"I wish we could be a family, that I could be there to watch him grow, but you and I both know that I am needed elsewhere." Aura had toyed with telling Mr. Nash everything for a while. She was tired of having to hide everything.

"I was just about to have lunch. Care to join me, Aura?" Mr. Nash asked.

"I'm starving actually." Aura smiled.

They went back to the Dalton Diner together. Aura made up her mind. Mr. Nash deserved to know everything. They found a booth and placed their orders. Once Wakamei left them alone, Aura began to talk.

"You know I work security for a top secret project, Project Quarton. Well, it is time you knew the truth. Guren is a very special boy. He is the only one of his kind." Aura began.

"Did they do something to him? Is that why you made me wait two days to meet him after you gave birth to him?" Mr. Nash asked.

"Guren has the blood of two worlds flowing through him. Project Quarton is not a project. Quarton is my home world. I didn't let you see our son because I didn't know which traits he would display. I know you will ask." Aura opened her watch and pressed a button. A picture popped up showing five beings, "I'm the one in the middle. I am one of the five Guardians of Quarton. We are silicon lifeforms, living machines. Before you ask again, Guren is fully human when he is on Earth. Our food is here." Aura dug into her burger, relishing the flavor. Mr. Nash stared at his own burger.

"You came for Guren, didn't you?" He asked.

"I didn't. I came to see you. I still love you. I can't take you to see Quarton, but I can show you Guren, show that he is safe." Aura pulled an iPad from her purse. She turned it on, "The Knights are working their way through the Temple of the Wind. They have crossed the front room." She turned the iPad to Mr. Nash, "Guren is the small red Knight. He was injured when I found him. I nursed him back to health, but I couldn't do much for his right leg. The one carrying him is Dromus. The blue one is Tributon, the yellow one is Lydendor, and the green one is Valorn. You know them better as Gen, Ceylan, Chooki, and Toxsa. Guren is called Bravenwolf. He is not conscious. Don't worry, he is fine. The others are in Titan mode. Guren must be mode locked. They will come home soon, after they free Notus, one of my fellow guardians."

"I don't know why, but I believe you." Mr. Nash replied.

* * *

"Bravenwolf?"

"Bravenwolf, wake up!"

"Why is he not waking up?"

"I don't like this, guys."

"Vera would know what to do. One of us could take him to her."

"Vera is at the camp, which is a three day journey from here. She is too far away from us. Even Tributon isn't fast enough, and he is too shaken up from the spears."

"Hmm..."

"Bravenwolf?"

"My head... Tributon? Is he?"

"I'm okay. We are on the other side of the room now. Why did you pass out?"

"I got hit by a wave of pain in my leg. I'm fine now. We need to get moving. Really, I'm fine!" Bravenwolf winked, trying to put everybody at ease.

"Bravenwolf does have a point." Lydendor took the lead. He opened the door and led them deeper into the temple. After they passed through the door, there was a clang as bars dropped to seal the door they came through and the door ahead of them.

"I recognize this! We've got an attacker coming. This is dungeon 101. I've seen this in Doomsploder 3, Curse of the Nightmare. It is a fun game. You have to race the clock to wake the Dreamer." Valorn said.

"Lydendor, you do recognize this trap, right?" Bravenwolf asked.

"It is a new one. If my memory is correct, this is based off my training program." Lydendor thought.

A growl sounded from the ceiling. The Knights looked up.

"I hope nobody is afraid of spiders." Dromus said, "That looks like a giant brown recluse."

"I kill spiders on a daily basis. Wakamei claims the only reason I was born was to deal with spiders. Both of my parents and my sister are afraid of spiders." Valorn answered.

"You sure it is a brown recluse? It looks more like it belongs in the tarantula group. My mother has a pet tarantula, and I find spiders fascinating." Tributon said.

"It's shape is brown recluse, but I do see where you are seeing tarantula." Dromus continued.

"That is not my training program, and while I'm not afraid of spiders, I hate spiders." Lydendor added, "This one looks pretty cool."

"I'm fine as long as it doesn't move." Bravenwolf shuddered, "There is a reason I have a cat. Max keeps the spiders away."

The giant spider dropped to the floor and hissed. It eyed its prey. Bravenwolf tensed. The spider made its choice clear as it sped toward Tributon.

"It's official! I hate this temple!" Tributon dove out of the way.

The spider rushed Dromus, who stabbed at it. Shrieking, the spider shot around him and up the wall. It fired webbing at him, but he ducked out of harms way. Unfortunately, he brought Bravenwolf into the path of the webbing. Bravenwolf yelped in surprise.

"Hey! I'm not spider food!" He was yanked off Dromus and into the foremost legs of the spider which skittered back up to the ceiling. "Let me go! I swear I'm not your dinner!"

"I'm coming!" Tributon activated his thrusters, "Mr. Spider, you really don't want to eat Bravenwolf. I hear he tastes bad and he'll give you indigestion!" He fired an ice arrow at the spider. It squealed in annoyance and spat webs at Tributon, who dodged, "Missed me, missed me! Now you got to... oh never mind!"

"Tributon, distract it!" Lydendor called out.

"On it!" Tributon fired more arrows,

Lydendor slipped behind the spider and flung his shield. It connected and the spider dropped to the floor where Dromus and Valorn attacked it. With a final hiss, the spider melted away. Tributon rescued Bravenwolf from the web on the ceiling.

"When did I get voted bot in distress?" Bravenwolf joked, showing he was okay, "That spider really wasn't creepy."

"I wonder what other traps this place has." Valorn said as the bars blocking the doors vanished.

"I don't know." Lydendor entered the next room, "We go up from here."

The Knights climbed stairs, fought the corrupted soldiers they came across, walked down hallways, climbed more stairs, and pressed on deeper into the temple. After what felt like hours, they reached a door decorated with a four point star. Four gems rested in the points of the star. There was a black onyx, a yellow topaz, a green emerald, and a blue sapphire. There was an indent in the middle of the star.

"Interesting." Dromus examined the star.

"The door is locked." Tributon tried the door.

"This door will unlock when the object in the center is found and put into place. I have seen this before, in Dungeon Maze." Valorn explained, "My best guess is that it is a gem."

"The ruby is missing." Lydendor said.

"Do we have to search this entire temple?" Tributon asked.

"No, only this room." Lydendor began to search. Bravenwolf was on his shoulder.

"Guys, is it me, or is the back wall moving toward us?" He asked.

Really? The wall is moving towards us?" Dromus looked, "Oh you got to be kidding me!"

"We're going to be tenkai pancakes!" Tributon wailed.

"Hey, this reminds me of the shrinking hall from Dungeon Maze!" Valorn called out, "I see a hole, but we're too big to fit! I can't shift to core mode!"

"Bravenwolf, you'll fit! Find a switch, the ruby, or something and activate it!" Lydendor stuffed Bravenwolf into the opening, "Hurry!"

"I'll crawl as quick as I can." Bravenwolf pulled himself forward quickly, "I was a fast crawler before I could walk." He exited the opening into another room. Looking around, he spotted the switch. "Bad news! The switch is too high for me to reach! I can't titan up to reach it ether! Wait, I think I can climb up!" Pulling himself to the wall, he pulled himself to his feet. Balanced on his good leg, he began to climb until he reached the ledge where the switch was. He activated the switch. A bridge dropped from the ceiling leading across the room to another switch. Sighing, Bravenwolf limped across the bridge, nearly falling twice, and activated the new switch. The ceiling opened to reveal the ruby and a new bridge built its way across the room to a third large switch. He limped to the ruby to collect it and limped to the big switch. He tried to activate it, but the switch refused to budge. He spotted the indentation and put the ruby into it. He activated the switch and took the ruby. A section of the wall slid down and Bravenwolf limped through it to find a slide. The slide took him back to the opening.

"I have the ruby and I'm coming!" Bravenwolf limped quickly through the opening. Lydendor was waiting to carry him to the door. He set the ruby in place. The wall stopped moving and slid back to its original position. The door unlocked and lifted to reveal stairs. The Knights climbed the stairs and exited onto the roof under the big fan.

"Notus!" Lydendor rushed to the Guardians side.

"Lydendor. It is good to see you. I'm okay." Notus greeted, "My student, have your memories returned?"

"You have some explaining to do. Most of my memories have returned." Lydendor nodded.

"You must defeat Shadius. I will explain everything I can." Notus nodded.

Lightning crackled as the wind rose in an agonizing scream. Shadius swept in to face Lydendor.

"Any last words, Knight?" Shadius sneered, "Today you die!"

"Game on!" They clashed. Tributon and Valorn tried to help but they both ended up tied up against the fan. Dromus joined them moments later.

Shadius had the upper hand. He beat on Lydendor, delivering powerful blows and hard kicks along with laser fire. Lydendor defended until a hard kick sent him reeling. This left him open to attack, and Shadius delivered a vicious uppercut to his jaw that sent him to the ground.

"Lydendor!" Bravenwolf hated watching one of his friends get the pulp beaten out of him, "Get up! You have to get up!"

"I don't think I can..." Lydendor got his knees under him, but Shadius struck again, sending him onto his back. He planted his foot on Lydendor's neck.

"Ready to die? I want you to beg for your life!" Shadius hissed, putting pressure on Lydendor's neck. Lydendor choked, trying to suck in what little air he could.

"NO! LYDENDOR!" Bravenwolf screamed. He tried to run, but his bad leg folded under him. He hit the ground with a cry of pain, "LYDENDOR!"

"Shadius!" Lydendor struggled.

Notus watched, and prayed. Lydendor managed to throw Shadius off and roll to his knees, breathing deeply. Bravenwolf's scream got his attention. Turning, he saw that Shadius had Bravenwolf in his claws. The three trapped Knights redoubled and tripled their efforts to get free. Lydendor surged to his feet.

"Let him go, Shadius! Your fight is with me!" He cried out.

"Let's see how long it takes before you beg for his life!" Shadius squeezed his hand. Bravenwolf howled. Lydendor winced, and turned around.

"I will not beg, Shadius. Go ahead and kill him. I will not beg." Lydendor spoke evenly.

"What?" Tributon squawked, "Lydendor!"

"You don't mean that!" Valorn screamed.

"You coward!" Dromus thundered, "He's your leader! Don't turn your back on him!"

"I'm sorry, everyone." Lydendor's voice caught, "I can't."

"Lydendor... don't let... me die..." Bravenwolf rasped weakly.

"Go ahead, Shadius." Lydendor ached inside for what he was doing. Shadius squeezed Bravenwolf hard. Notus prayed. Bravenwolf screamed. His optics turned blue.

"Enough! Lydendor, have you forsaken me?" Bravenwolf asked.

"No, I have not." Lydendor turned to face them. Shadius tried to squeeze Bravenwolf even tighter but his hand was wrenched apart as Bravenwolf vanished in a red ball of light. The light streaked toward Lydendor, and he felt the familiar sensation of fusing begin. His legs folded up into his body while Bravenwolf entered titan mode. Bravenwolf's upper body folded down as they connected. Lydendor gained red highlights, and Bravenwolf's wolf's head clicked into place on his chest. He reached up to catch the sword and his shield. Inside, Guren joined Chooki. Guren looked like he had been beaten up. The darker red staining his red pant leg did not go unnoticed by Chooki. He was pale and breathing heavily.

"You don't look so good." Chooki said in greeting.

"I look worse then I feel." Guren returned, "You aren't exactly the picture of health ether."

Chooki had strangle marks on his neck and was sporting bruises.

"At least I'm not bleeding. Lets do this." Chooki nodded, "Then we can get home."

"I'm with you." Guren turned his focus on Shadius.

Lydendor's eyes lit up as he came online. He did not give Shadius any warning. He lunged forward and struck with Bravenwolf's sword. This time Lydendor beat down Shadius. The battle was short. Shadius reverted back to core block mode and faded away. Lydendor separated from Bravenwolf. He rushed to Notus while the other Knights were freed from their binds.

"It finally happened. You and Bravenwolf fused. I promise to explain everything. First, the portal is open. You may go home." Notus promised.

"Bravenwolf, wake up!" Tributon screamed. Lydendor turned and rushed to the other knights. Notus followed.

"He just collapsed." Valorn answered the unasked question.

"Drop ship." Notus took off and returned with the ship, "We need to get you back to Earth." He picked up Bravenwolf and leapt up onto the ship. The others followed. Notus focused and the ship took off. As they slipped between the worlds, armor faded as human forms emerged. A flash of light engulfed them and they appeared in the portal room.

"Toxsa!" Wakamei tackled her brother.

"Not now Wakamei!" Toxsa cried out, "I'll deal with you in a minute!"

"Oh Guren! He's hurt!" Wakamei rushed to him.

"I need one of you to go get White." Notus was calm. As a human, he was tall with blue eyes and blond hair tied back with a black ponytail holder. He wore black boots with black jeans and a red silk shirt. Ceylan ran. He returned with

Mr. White, who went to Notus.

"They saved you. Oh my." Mr. White took in Guren's condition, "Do you think we can wait for an ambulance?"

"No time. Your car is our best bet." Notus decided, "Here, you take him while I go find Aura."

Mr. White took off with Guren and Ceylan.

"Would Aura look a bit like Guren? She is having lunch with Mr. Nash in my parents diner." Wakamei supplied.

They took off. They reached the diner in under two minutes. Notus went straight to Aura.

"Notus! They saved you. I know you likely want to kill me for leaving." Aura rose, "This is Mr. Nash, Guren's father."

"Aura, Guren is hurt. Mr. White is rushing him to the hospital. You two need to get there now." Notus explained.

With that, Mr. Nash tossed a twenty to Toxsa. He and Aura took off. Before Toxsa could move, both of his parents rushed him. They all but smothered him in love.

"Mom, dad, not now!" Toxsa complained.

"I need to get home." Chooki turned to leave, "I'll meet up with you later."

"I'll drive you. It is too risky to go alone. Where have you boys been? It has been three days. We all have been so worried." Mrs. Dalton looked up.

"Um..." Chooki froze.

"Didn't I tell you? The four of us went camping for a school project." Toxsa saved him, "We meant to camp overnight, but we found a new trail, and we got lost. We couldn't get a signal, but Notus here found us and brought us home."

"It was my fault, really. I convinced them to take that trail." Gen supplied, "I heard a rumor that hikers had found a log that looked like it was made of blocks, and being a junior botanist, I wanted to find it. We didn't find it."

"I was sent by the Quarton Project to confirm the rumor, and it turned out to be another false lead. You would not have heard of the Project as it is very top secret. Aura is my colleague." Notus added, "Guren took a tumble off a cliff but he'll be fine."

* * *

Queen Sunstar: I'm ending the chapter here. Next chapter, Guren's Problem, Guren makes a discovery about himself that horrifies him. Notus finally explains everything. Also, the lake scene will finally happen. There won't be much action as Guren will spend parts of the chapter in bed. Feel free to leave a review, now!


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